POLITICO NIGHTLY: Biden’s Omicron dilemma

 

BY JOANNE KENEN Presented by the Connected Commerce Council President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the November jobs report in the State Dining Room of the White House. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES — The basic tenets of public health communication are to plan for the worst (although it’s OK to hope for the best) and to always tell the truth — including clarity about what you don’t know. That’s true now amid the uncertainty of Omicron. It was true two years ago, when Covid-19 first emerged. And it was true a century ago during the 1918 flu pandemic; in fact, that’s the main takeaway from John Barry’s definitive book, “The Great Influenza.” “Whether a politician saw an advantage and knowingly did something at best unproductive or whether he or she acted out of incompetence or fear, the human factor, the political leadership factor, is the weakness in any plan, in every plan,” he wrote at the end of 460-plus pages. “Those in authority must retain the public’s trust. The way to do that is to distort nothing, to put the best face on nothing, to try to manipulate no one,” he concluded. But when the worst doesn’t ensue, it can create a “Boy Who Cries Wolf” kind of phenomenon, making at least some segment of the population less likely to heed the warnings next time. (Shore-dwellers who dismiss hurricane evacuation warnings being Exhibit A.) And in our own societal moment of extreme partisanship, suspicion and distrust, what some of us may see as a “Thank God it wasn’t so bad” moment, others see as yet another reason to lose confidence in expertise, in government, in science itself. They perceive themselves not as having been warned, but as having been lied to. So with Omicron’s emergence in the U.S., how can the Biden administration practice those Golden Rules of pandemic communication without sowing even more division and distrust? “That’s a problem — and that’s a good question,” Barry told me this week. The 1918 flu (known as the “Spanish” flu even though it probably began in rural Kansas) coincided with the U.S. mobilization for World War I. The mass movement of troops transported the virus across the country and across the globe. The lethal new version of the influenza virus would kill even more people than trench warfare and mustard gas did. The coronavirus emerged in China, at the early stage of a U.S. presidential campaign. Scientists confronting a virus called “novel” for a reason didn’t quite know what it would do at first. As they gained insight they didn’t always communicate crisply or consistently. For months, we coated the world with bleach and hand sanitizer when we should have been focusing on ventilation. Unlike its predecessor, the Biden administration never sugar-coated the danger, but it too had communication missteps, particularly around school openings and boosters. We have more tools against the coronavirus now: vaccines, new drugs, greater knowledge of the enemy. And science should have many more answers about Omicron within weeks — particularly about how well the vaccines will protect against it. In the meantime, public health communication should be built on what Barry called an infrastructure of uncertainty. “Explain from the beginning what you don’t know,” he told Nightly. “Create an infrastructure of what you don’t know.” If Omicron does turn out to be the worst case, or at least a very bad case, Barry wonders if it will mean the Covid deniers can no longer deny. Rallying the country around a war and underplaying the 1918 virus, as national leaders did then, was a devastatingly poor choice. But we can at least comprehend what they were thinking, even if they were appallingly wrong. The current politicization of vaccines, of masks, of the illness itself “continues to astound me,” Barry said. Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, is a little more confident than Barry that the public can come to understand the nature of changing forecasts and science’s moments of uncertainty. “At the end of the day — most people are rational,” he said. “Tell them what you know. Tell them the information changed. “Some will believe you. Some won’t. But people over time remember that you told them the truth.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author on Twitter at @JoanneKenen.   A message from the Connected Commerce Council: An estimated 11 million small businesses (37%) would have closed without access to digital tools. Why is Congress proposing changes that would dismantle small businesses’ digital safety net? Learn more: https://connectedcouncil.org/   WHAT'D I MISS? — Virginia GOP completes sweep of elections with state House win: A three-judge panel overseeing a recount in a close Virginia Beach state House race upheld the Republican candidate’s victory today, a decision that also reaffirms the GOP’s takeover of the chamber and completes the party’s sweep of last month’s elections. Republicans also claimed the statewide offices of governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in the Nov. 2 election. Those wins were a dramatic turnaround in a state where the GOP had not won a statewide race since 2009. — Appeals court mulls suit against Trump over rape denial: A federal appeals court panel debated today whether former President Donald Trump strayed beyond his presidential duties in his aggressive response to a New York writer’s claim that he raped her in a department store dressing room several decades ago. The central issue is whether Trump’s responses to E. Jean Carroll were so extreme that he abrogated the immunity that typically applies to work-related statements by federal employees. A Now Hiring sign hangs at a Tire Kingdom store in Miami. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images — U.S. employers added a sluggish 210,000 jobs in November: America’s employers slowed the pace of their hiring in November, adding 210,000 jobs, the fewest in nearly a year. Today’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the unemployment rate fell sharply to 4.2 percent from 4.6 percent. That is a historically low level though still above the pre-pandemic jobless rate of 3.5 percent. — Eastman takes the Fifth with Jan. 6 committee: John Eastman, the attorney who helped Trump pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election, has asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, according to a letter he delivered to the Jan. 6 committee explaining his decision not to testify. “Dr. Eastman hereby asserts his Fifth Amendment right not to be a witness against himself in response to your subpoena,” his attorney, Charles Burnham, wrote in a letter to Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) dated Dec. 1.   BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.     — Suspect’s parents charged in Michigan school shooting: A prosecutor in Michigan filed involuntary manslaughter charges today against the parents of a boy who is accused of killing four students at Oxford High School , after saying earlier that their actions went “far beyond negligence.” Jennifer and James Crumbley were charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Under Michigan law, an involuntary manslaughter charge can be pursued if prosecutors believe someone contributed to a situation where harm or death was high. If convicted, they could face up to 15 years in prison. — Top National Guard officer tests positive for Covid: Gen. Dan Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, tested positive for Covid-19 this week and is now isolating while working remotely, a bureau spokesperson said today. “All other members of the National Guard Bureau staff are continuing with their duties under the existing Covid protocols, and all continue to be tested, as required,” the spokesperson added in a statement.   A message from the Connected Commerce Council:     AROUND THE WORLD WAITING FOR BRUSSELS — Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen lambasted her Republican colleagues for blocking the confirmation of Biden’s EU ambassador nominee, David M. Herszenhorn writes. In a fiery floor speech, Shaheen said the Republicans were crippling U.S. foreign policy and playing into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin by blocking the nomination of Mark Gitenstein, Biden’s pick for the EU post, along with more than 50 others diplomatic nominations. Gitenstein, a close friend of the president and longtime aide to Biden when he served in the Senate, is a lawyer and was previously U.S. ambassador to Romania during the Obama administration. Shaheen complained that Republicans had no justification for blocking Gitenstein’s confirmation given his qualifications. Some Republican senators have said they are delaying confirmation of Biden’s nominees in part to convey their unhappiness that Biden has not been tougher in opposing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany. But Shaheen, noting her own personal opposition to Nord Stream 2, said the Republicans were actually undermining U.S. foreign policy, including potential efforts to convince the new German government to block regulatory approval needed for the pipeline to begin operating.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     NIGHTLY NUMBER 3 The number of Omicron cases discovered in Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan announced today, marking the first cases of the new variant in the greater Washington area. PUNCHLINES D.C.’S REINDEER GAMES — The holidays are upon the nation’s capital, and Matt Wuerker is here to spread cheer with his latest Weekend Wrap of new political satire and cartoons , on topics including the advance of the Omicron variant, the backlash against MTG and Lauren Boebert, and the abortion arguments at the Supreme Court. PARTING WORDS ‘THINGS WE WOULD NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH’ — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said today the ugly infighting between GOP members following anti-Muslim remarks by a firebrand freshman are headaches that distract from Republicans’ efforts to retake the majority, Olivia Beavers and Nicholas Wu write in Congress Minutes. The California Republican, publicly addressing the internal drama for the first time during his weekly press conference, was asked about why he hasn’t been more forceful in condemning Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) for her Islamophobic comments directed at Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). McCarthy broadly argued that everyone is welcome in their party and that Boebert has sought to make amends. “It’s things we would not want to deal with,” McCarthy said, adding that the “American people want to focus on stopping inflation, gas prices, and others. … This party is for anyone and everyone who craves freedom and supports religious liberty.” McCarthy said not only did he call Boebert after her “jihad squad” and other remarks went viral in a video, but that Boebert also apologized publicly — in which she specifically tailored her apology to the broader Muslim community — and to Omar herself privately. “When it came forward, we talked. She apologized publicly. She apologized personally. I contacted Steny Hoyer,” he added.   A message from the Connected Commerce Council: Digitally enabled small businesses saw 50% more revenue during the pandemic than businesses that did not use digital tools. Now, Congress is considering legislation that could hurt the digital economy – and put small businesses at risk. Learn more: https://connectedcouncil.org/     Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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Biden gets HUGE win in Congress

 

Today's Top Stories:

House passes $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, delivering major win for Biden
The House passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, delivering a major win for President Biden after months of internal deliberations and painstaking divisions among Democrats.

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Top Democrat gives must-see speech on the House floor
Democrats looking for messaging guidance to counter steadfast GOP resistance to the Build Back Better Act should look no further than Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan.

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Republicans try to set TRAP for Democrats over Biden's new bill
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Disgraceful.

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Republican rep. issues grave warning about Trump in 2024
Retiring GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez said the ex-president is already laying the groundwork to steal the next election, having learned from his failure to overturn the 2020 result.

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Former Trump DOJ official cuts House deposition short, claims executive privilege
Jeffrey Clark, who championed Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, delivered a 12-page letter from his attorney — a lawyer who worked on a post-election lawsuit aimed at overturning the results in Georgia — defending his refusal to testify.

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American Airlines jacks up flight attendant holiday pay to avoid more flight cancellations
Now there's a novel ideal... Proper wages!

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US employers shrugged off virus, stepped up hiring adding 531,000 jobs in October
Let's hear more from the right about how Democratic policies are bad for working Americans.

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Family behind Kenosha car dealership refutes Kyle Rittenhouse defense, say he was never asked to guard their property
The Khindri brothers' testimony is significant for prosecutors' efforts to paint Rittenhouse as a vigilante who recklessly and needlessly brought an AR-15 rifle into a dangerous situation. Rittenhouse's defense attorneys have sought to portray their client as a Good Samaritan who was providing much-needed protection to a family business that had requested it.

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Newsmax implements COVID-19 vaccine mandate after weeks of attacking vaccine mandates
The announcement came the same day the far-right network sidelined White House correspondent Emerald Robinson after she falsely and bizarrely claimed on Twitter that the vaccines contained a luminescent enzyme called "luciferase" that tracked recipients.

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Roger Stone threatens to run for Florida governor just to draw votes away from Ron DeSantis unless the governor pledges not to run for president in 2024
Sometimes the headline says it all.

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Trump floats reckless claim "troubled" Alec Baldwin intentionally shot "Rust" cinematographer
No low is too low for the disgraced ex-president.

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Seriously?

SpaceX toilet breaks in space, astronauts relying on diapers

Judge throws out case against Florida ban on mask mandates

NFL star who lied about vax status getting COVID advice from Joe Rogan

MAGA rioter lists home on Zillow, inadvertently reveals cache of explosives

Yes. Seriously.

Europe is again at epicenter of pandemic

Local Democrats warn party: Growing Republican wave is real

8 dead, dozens injured in 'mass casualty event' at Houston music fest

Arizona won't stop using COVID money for anti-mask grants

Hope...

Demand for vaccines for kids skyrocket after approval, docs urge patience

Merck's antiviral COVID pill approved in the UK

World’s longest undersea cable to send clean energy from Morocco to the UK

Alleged Jan. 6 Rioter Tries to Sell Home on Zillow, Inadvertently Reveals Cache of Explosives: FBI

OPSEC FAIL

Justin Rohrlich

Reporter

Published Nov. 05, 2021

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

A former Green Beret and one-time congressional candidate arrested last month for his alleged participation in the Capitol riot was illegally stockpiling explosives prior to being jailed on charges related to the Jan. 6 pro-Trump siege, according to an FBI search warrant filed Friday in Washington, D.C. federal court. When federal agents searched 47-year-old Jeremy Brown’s Florida home in October, they reported finding a short-barrel rifle, a sawed-off shotgun, more than 8,000 rounds of ammunition, and two hand grenades. But it was a picture included in a sales listing for his house on Zillow that led to his latest troubles. In a photo from “what appears to be Brown’s office,” FBI agents spotted a whiteboard with columns labeled “Food,” “Clothing,” “Shelter,” “Currency,” “Communicate,” “Move,” and “Shoot,” the warrant states. In the “shoot” column, it continues, “there are numerous firearms listed and explosive devices such as ‘flash bangs.’” The entry on the whiteboard indicated that Brown had the flash bangs “on hand,” the filing says, adding that Brown “is not registered to possess explosive devices.”

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Agents are now seeking to search a trailer located on Brown’s property, which the FBI believes he bought about a month ago: “[I]t is unlikely that an individual would market a home available for public inspection with guns and explosives inside of the home, [thus] it is probable ammunition, and explosives, which constitute potential evidence in the investigation, have been moved to the RV or trailer,” the warrant states. Brown remains jailed after a judge in October ruled he was a danger to the community.

POLITICO NIGHTLY: Biden’s next foreign policy crisis

 

BY NAHAL TOOSI With help from Renuka Rayasam Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed salutes members of the Ethiopian Military as they march during an inaugural celebration after Ahmed was sworn in for a second five year term in October in Addis Ababa. | Jemal Countess/Getty Images IF IT ISN’T HERE ALREADY — President Joe Biden is clearly not a fan of using U.S. military force unless absolutely necessary. (See: Afghanistan.) His administration’s preference is a “diplomacy first” approach to foreign policy. This might seem like a no-brainer. Of course you’d want to try talking before shooting. Plus, there’s no guarantee that shooting — meaning, using the U.S. military — will bring about a positive solution anyway. In fact, it could make things much worse. But diplomacy doesn’t always work, even when you bundle it with everything from economic sanctions to visa bans to trade penalties. Case in point: Ethiopia. This week marks a year since a vicious conflict erupted in that country, pitting federal forces against rebels from the Tigray region. The death toll is believed to be in the thousands, while hundreds of thousands face starvation. War crimes? Quite likely. The Biden administration has taken a step-by-step approach to the conflict , including repeatedly dispatching a special envoy to cajole the warring parties while authorizing sanctions, imposing visa bans and more. How is that going? The country’s capital, Addis Ababa, is now in danger, and the United States is slashing its embassy staff while urging Americans to leave the country. That sounds depressingly familiar. When I asked a senior State Department official why nothing seems to be working, the official seemed exasperated with me. His answer came down to this: The leaders in the conflict are too stubborn to listen. That includes Nobel Peace Prize-winning (yes, you read that right) Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The official’s exact words: “The problem is that you have multiple objects that heretofore have proven largely unmovable,” he said. “It remains to be seen whether the shifting dynamic will cause at least one of those objects to show a little more flexibility.” So yes, maybe after the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it makes a lot of sense to insist on a diplomacy-first U.S. foreign policy. But it is certainly no guarantee that you will achieve your goals. All is not lost in Ethiopia. Pressure from the United Nations and other African countries, and maybe even sheer exhaustion, could over time help bring the conflict down to a simmer if not extinguish it. Or maybe one of the parties will win on the battlefield. For now, though, it appears the best U.S. diplomacy can do is find ways to help the suffering civilians caught in the conflict while doing its best to nudge seemingly unmovable objects. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at ntoosi@politico.com, or on Twitter at @nahaltoosi.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     ON THE HILL AS THE VOTES TURN — After a multi-day whipping bonanza, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team dramatically altered course today to satisfy a handful of recalcitrant moderates who refused to back Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending bill. Instead, Democrats are set to again delay a vote on that party-line measure and turn their sights to just the $550 billion Senate-passed infrastructure bill — bending to the demands of their most vocal centrists in a last-ditch attempt to deliver at least one legislative win for Biden. “Today we have an opportunity to proceed down a path to advance a very historic and transformative agenda,” Pelosi told reporters late this afternoon. Democrats do still plan to advance their broader $1.75 trillion climate and social safety net bill, set for passage without GOP votes, but it would only be a procedural move — some momentum, but not enough for many progressives. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) issued a firm statement on Friday afternoon rejecting the move to vote on infrastructure without the broader spending plan. “If our six colleagues still want to wait” to vote on a party-line social spending bill in order to give time for a budget score, Jayapal said, “we would agree to give them that time — after which point we can vote on both bills together.” The maneuver, pushed by senior members of the Congressional Black Caucus, is a huge risk for Democratic leaders that reverses a promise to their left wing to move both of Biden’s priorities in tandem. While that move is certain to cost them at least a handful of liberal votes for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, senior Democrats believe they can make up most of those from the GOP side of the aisle.   BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.     AROUND THE NATION STOCK UP THE MEDICINE CABINET — Nightly’s Renuka Rayasam emails: Until October, our family had largely steered clear of crowded indoor gatherings — our two toddlers aren’t vaccinated against Covid. But my husband, full of childhood nostalgia, couldn’t resist an invitation we got to a kids’ birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza, a cavernous space, teeming with other families celebrating fall birthdays with skeeball. Two days later, our eldest son started sneezing and coughing and was exhausted. I was next. Then the illness sidelined my mother-in-law, who spent a day watching my son while he was at home from daycare. At the end of the week, when my son still hadn’t recovered, we took him to the pediatrician who examined and tested him. Turns out it was just a routine cold. Get used to this, said Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. After a year and a half of masking and hand sanitizer and social distancing, our immune systems have largely been shielded from pathogens that we commonly encounter in our lives. But now, as Covid fatigue sets in, the holidays approach, indoor gatherings rise and kids vaccinated against Covid start to venture out in the world, we are going to get sick — a lot. “People’s immune systems have been detrained,” Gandhi said. Pathogens are hungry for hosts. That means it could take a lot less virus to make us feel a lot more ill. The CDC is warning of a massive rebound of flu cases this winter, but as with Covid at least there is a flu vaccine. There are other viruses illnesses without vaccines that are spreading rapidly: rhinoviruses, adenoviruses, other coronaviruses that cause common colds, paramyxovirus, parainfluenza, croup and strep throat. On Monday, when I thought our family was in the clear, the kids — and my husband — started throwing up. We saw a version of this in the spring when people first started venturing out. Out of season colds and RSV cases surged in the United States. But things are set to get a lot worse this winter with even more people circulating indoors. Students at the University of Dayton have coined the term “Dayton Plague” for a non-Covid respiratory illness that’s been making the rounds. Still, the return of routine pathogens isn’t actually all bad. “For the average child, having a cold is a wonderful training ground for an immune system,” said C. Buddy Creech, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University. There is evidence that getting sick early in life can protect us against more severe illnesses in the future. Gandhi, who was part of the NIH’s Human Microbiome Project, has been worried that our immune systems aren’t seeing enough germs. “I’ve been trying to get my kids colds recently,” she said. “I know the desperate need for immune diversity.” Still this spike in formerly routine illnesses isn’t without risk. Colds can lead to ear infections and pneumonia too, warns Creech. The other complication? The FDA is set to authorize molnupiravir, an oral antiviral, that is most effective when given early. But because respiratory viruses often share symptoms with Covid, more testing will be required to figure out whether a patient has a severe cold or mild Covid. “It’s going to be a confusing winter,” Gandhi said. WHAT'D I MISS? Alma Powell, widow of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, shakes hands with guests as she leads family and friends out of Washington National Cathedral following her husband's funeral service. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images — Family, friends gather to honor Colin Powell: Friends, family and former colleagues gathered today at Washington National Cathedral to honor Colin L. Powell, the trailblazing soldier-diplomat who rose from humble Bronx beginnings to become the first Black chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later served as the first Black secretary of state. The funeral drew dignitaries and friends from across a wide political and military spectrum. They included former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, former Secretaries of State James Baker, Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the current chair of the Joint Chiefs, Army Gen. Mark Milley, as well as other service chiefs. — State Dept. names new coordinator on ‘Havana Syndrome’ cases: The State Department named a new coordinator today for its investigation into cases of so-called Havana Syndrome , responding to increased pressure from lawmakers to investigate and respond to hundreds of brain injuries reported by diplomats and intelligence officers. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appointed a high-ranking deputy, Jonathan Moore, to coordinate the department’s task force on the cases. He replaces Pamela Spratlen, a retired diplomat temporarily called back into service by Blinken before leaving in September. She had faced criticism from some victims. — U.S. hiring rebounded in October, with 531,000 jobs added: America’s employers stepped up their hiring in October, adding a solid 531,000 jobs, the most since July and a sign that the recovery from the pandemic recession may be overcoming a virus-induced slowdown. Today’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent last month, from 4.8 percent in September. That is a comparatively low level but still well above the pre-pandemic jobless rate of 3.5 percent. — Florida begins recount in nearly tied contest for Alcee Hastings’ former seat: Florida has formally ordered a machine recount in the Florida congressional race where the top two candidates in the crowded Democratic primary are separated by just three votes . Secretary of State Laurel Lee approved the recount for Florida’s 20th congressional district late Thursday evening, and local election offices began running ballots through machines this morning. The winner of the Democratic primary is all-but guaranteed to win the safely Democratic seat that was held for years by Rep. Alcee Hastings, who died in spring. The special election will be held on Jan. 11. — Pentagon bearing down on Biden to shelve nuclear reforms: Biden’s pledge to limit the role of nuclear weapons is facing growing resistance from Pentagon officials and their hawkish allies, who are arguing to keep the status quo in the face of Chinese and Russian arms buildups. Biden’s top national security advisers will soon review the conditions under which the United States might resort to using nuclear weapons. Among the options are adopting a “no first use” policy, or declaring that the “sole purpose” of the arsenal is to deter a nuclear conflict and not use them in response to a conventional war or other strategic assault like a cyberattack. NIGHTLY NUMBER 2 The number of times Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin’s 17-year-old son, who is not old enough to vote, tried to cast a ballot in Tuesday’s gubernatorial election, Fairfax County officials said in a statement published by multiple outlets today. AROUND THE WORLD FOR THOSE TIRED OF OLD DISEASE WORRIES — France has put the entire country on high alert for bird flu, the French ministry of agriculture announced today. According to new measures, all French poultry farmers will have to keep their flock indoors. Other protective restrictions include the prohibition of any gathering together of live flocks, enhanced conditions for bird transport and daily clinical monitoring of all farms. Since the beginning of August, 130 cases or outbreaks of bird flu have been detected in wildlife or in farms in Europe, particularly in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea regions. “In this context and with the approach of the migratory period at risk, France is in a situation of strong vigilance,” the ministry said in a statement. Last winter, French authorities were forced to cull some 700,000 ducks to stop the spread of the virus. PUNCHLINES ELECTION PIZZA HANGOVER — The seismic election results in Virginia and New Jersey were fertile ground for political satire and cartoons, and Matt Wuerker covers the latest in his Weekend Wrap , also featuring the ongoing congressional negotiations on Biden’s agenda and the COP26 conference.   Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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